The dire wolf is the closest extinct relative of the dingo. It lived over thousands of years ago in the present day country we know as the United States of America. It is believed that the dire wolf looked similar to the gray wolf.
Habitat:
The dire wolf lived during the Pleistocene period, around 1.8 million to 10 thousand years ago, during the ice age. Around 65 thousand year an extreme layer of ice started to build up. It covered the present day countries of Canada, Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. The United States of America also got partly covered by ice, therefore all the animals migrated farther south towards the centre and south of the United States. As the temperatures dropt larger animals with warm furs started roaming the earth.
After the build up of ice in the north the climate and surroundings started to change. The sea level gradually dropped around 122 meters. This caused the world’s temperature to drop by an average of 5 degrees Celsius. As the temperatures dropped the flora and fauna also started to change.
Before the ice age the world was covered in thick rainforests. However towards the start of the ice age the world started to change. The rainforests gradually disappeared to be replaced by large plains. Based on fossils found of plant remains it has shown that during this time there were some plants that can be still found today. Some of the trees found were oak, walnut, poison, oak, and redwood. Some berries of the time were red cedar, blueberries and raspberry. Also plants like juniper, sagebrush, sage, and ragweed were also common because they did not require much water to survive.
Just like the flora, the fauna started to change and adapt to their new habitat. As the rainforests started to be replaced by plains with little vegetation to use as shelter the animals has to become faster and bigger to survive. Animals such as horses, camels, mammoth and large cats started to become more common. Also the predators had to become smarter and often hunt in packs to be able to compete with other carnivores in the chase large animals.
Structural adaptation (1): large jaw
The jaw of a dire wolf in comparison to that of a gray wolf
Like all carnivores the size of their jaw determines the power of their bite and the size of their prey. The dire wolf has a large jaw when compared to present day animals like the grey wolf and the dingo, its length is around 16.5 cm. This allowed the dire wolf to kill larger animal faster and with less effort. This is because the power of the jaw would pierce through an animal’s skin more easily involving fewer bites to kill it. This adaptation could have risen because the dire wolves pray became larger as the climate changed. For it to survive it had to have a larger bit to kill its pray.
Structural adaptation (1): thick bones & large muscles
For many animals during this time size and speed was their only form of survival. The dire wolf had very thick bones; this allowed it to have more muscles than most present day predators. With more muscles and thicker bones it was altogether larger than wolf-dog animal today. This also allowed the dire wolf to run faster; therefore it was able to catch its pray. This adaptation could have risen because the faster animals had more chance of survival than the slow ones. Also if the dire wolf did not have thick bones and large muscles it could not have been able to catch pray causing it to starve to death.
Behavioural adaptation (1): lives in a pack Like many animals in the canidae family the dire wolf lived in a pack. This helped it to catch pray more effectively. This is because in pack hunting there is often a strategy in trapping the prey. Also, the strategy changes every time. This was essential because animals as a whole were becoming more intelligent. Living in a pack also helped the dire wolf to defend their territories. This adaptation could have risen because of the benefits it provides. As the climate became harsher, animals that lived in packs could find warmth among them selves. Also it gave the animals more possibilities in finding food.
Behavioural adaptation (2): exclusion of young males The dire wolf, as a pack animal had simular practices as dingos and present day wolves. One of these practices was the exclusion of young males in a pack. This was done to keep the peace within a pack. As there was a lot of space in America around the time of the ice age, young wolves could easily form new packs with their own territories. This adaptation could have risen as a way to prevent conflict among the wolves, because a pack without conflict functions better and has more chance of survival.
Physiological adaptation (1): warm blooded The dire wolf, like all mammals was warm-blooded. Warm-blooded animals have the advantage of being able to adapt to different climates more efficiently then cold-blooded animals, this is because it helps to regulate body temperatures. This helped the dire wolf to survive during the ice age. As a warm-blooded animal the dire wolf could transfer its food into heat/energy. Also warm-blooded animals are a lot more active in cold climates than cold-blooded animal. This adaptation could have been caused by the change of the earth’s climate, as it changed from tropical to an ice age. As the ice age stated warm-blooded animals had a better chance of survival due to their ability to produce heat through energy. Extinction The dire wolf became extinct due to the lack of food and its limited intelligence.
Intelligence was very important for animals during the end of the ice age because if determined its success in the hunt and its ability to adapt to the new environment. the more intelligence and animal had the better is could think on the spot and develop efficient tactics during the hunt.
Towards the end of the Pleistocene period many animals became extinct. Among these were many herbivores. As the number of herbivores decreased, the amount of food for carnivores also decreased, causing competition for the dire wolf.
Other carnivores of the time (e.g. the grey wolf) have larger brains when compared to the braincase of the dire wolf. This suggests that the dire wolf was less intelligent causing it to loose the competition for food. Therefore the dire wolf became extinct because of the lack of food. Bibliography
Modern animal >>
The dire wolf is the closest extinct relative of the dingo. It lived over thousands of years ago in the present day country we know as the United States of America. It is believed that the dire wolf looked similar to the gray wolf.
Habitat:
The dire wolf lived during the Pleistocene period, around 1.8 million to 10 thousand years ago, during the ice age. Around 65 thousand year an extreme layer of ice started to build up. It covered the present day countries of Canada, Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. The United States of America also got partly covered by ice, therefore all the animals migrated farther south towards the centre and south of the United States. As the temperatures dropt larger animals with warm furs started roaming the earth.
After the build up of ice in the north the climate and surroundings started to change. The sea level gradually dropped around 122 meters. This caused the world’s temperature to drop by an average of 5 degrees Celsius. As the temperatures dropped the flora and fauna also started to change.
Before the ice age the world was covered in thick rainforests. However towards the start of the ice age the world started to change. The rainforests gradually disappeared to be replaced by large plains. Based on fossils found of plant remains it has shown that during this time there were some plants that can be still found today. Some of the trees found were oak, walnut, poison, oak, and redwood. Some berries of the time were red cedar, blueberries and raspberry. Also plants like juniper, sagebrush, sage, and ragweed were also common because they did not require much water to survive.
Just like the flora, the fauna started to change and adapt to their new habitat. As the rainforests started to be replaced by plains with little vegetation to use as shelter the animals has to become faster and bigger to survive. Animals such as horses, camels, mammoth and large cats started to become more common. Also the predators had to become smarter and often hunt in packs to be able to compete with other carnivores in the chase large animals.
Structural adaptation (1): large jaw
Like all carnivores the size of their jaw determines the power of their bite and the size of their prey. The dire wolf has a large jaw when compared to present day animals like the grey wolf and the dingo, its length is around 16.5 cm. This allowed the dire wolf to kill larger animal faster and with less effort. This is because the power of the jaw would pierce through an animal’s skin more easily involving fewer bites to kill it. This adaptation could have risen because the dire wolves pray became larger as the climate changed. For it to survive it had to have a larger bit to kill its pray.
Structural adaptation (1): thick bones & large muscles
For many animals during this time size and speed was their only form of survival. The dire wolf had very thick bones; this allowed it to have more muscles than most present day predators. With more muscles and thicker bones it was altogether larger than wolf-dog animal today. This also allowed the dire wolf to run faster; therefore it was able to catch its pray. This adaptation could have risen because the faster animals had more chance of survival than the slow ones. Also if the dire wolf did not have thick bones and large muscles it could not have been able to catch pray causing it to starve to death.
Behavioural adaptation (1): lives in a pack
Like many animals in the canidae family the dire wolf lived in a pack. This helped it to catch pray more effectively. This is because in pack hunting there is often a strategy in trapping the prey. Also, the strategy changes every time. This was essential because animals as a whole were becoming more intelligent. Living in a pack also helped the dire wolf to defend their territories. This adaptation could have risen because of the benefits it provides. As the climate became harsher, animals that lived in packs could find warmth among them selves. Also it gave the animals more possibilities in finding food.
The dire wolf, as a pack animal had simular practices as dingos and present day wolves. One of these practices was the exclusion of young males in a pack. This was done to keep the peace within a pack. As there was a lot of space in America around the time of the ice age, young wolves could easily form new packs with their own territories. This adaptation could have risen as a way to prevent conflict among the wolves, because a pack without conflict functions better and has more chance of survival.
Physiological adaptation (1): warm blooded
The dire wolf, like all mammals was warm-blooded. Warm-blooded animals have the advantage of being able to adapt to different climates more efficiently then cold-blooded animals, this is because it helps to regulate body temperatures. This helped the dire wolf to survive during the ice age. As a warm-blooded animal the dire wolf could transfer its food into heat/energy. Also warm-blooded animals are a lot more active in cold climates than cold-blooded animal. This adaptation could have been caused by the change of the earth’s climate, as it changed from tropical to an ice age. As the ice age stated warm-blooded animals had a better chance of survival due to their ability to produce heat through energy.
Extinction
The dire wolf became extinct due to the lack of food and its limited intelligence.
Intelligence was very important for animals during the end of the ice age because if determined its success in the hunt and its ability to adapt to the new environment. the more intelligence and animal had the better is could think on the spot and develop efficient tactics during the hunt.
Towards the end of the Pleistocene period many animals became extinct. Among these were many herbivores. As the number of herbivores decreased, the amount of food for carnivores also decreased, causing competition for the dire wolf.
Other carnivores of the time (e.g. the grey wolf) have larger brains when compared to the braincase of the dire wolf. This suggests that the dire wolf was less intelligent causing it to loose the competition for food. Therefore the dire wolf became extinct because of the lack of food.
Bibliography